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It’s taken me awhile but I’ve grown to love IPAs. The hoppy bitterness is amazingly satisfying and I love the way IPAs smell. So…I was super excited for my April postponed to May beer dinner that was all IPAs all the time. I also decided to try and focus on IPAs that were relatively local.

We got to try a range of different IPAs. My favorites were the Knee Deep Midnight Hoppyness and Samuel Adam’s Rebel IPA. The Midnight Hoppyness is a black IPA. The Sam Adams IPA is pretty mild and very drinkable.

I was also super excited to show off my newest project….my patio! My dad came down in March to help me build it during my Spring Break.

We started with a blank slate – just lots of dirt and some weeds…

…and a lot of gravel and sand.

After lots of digging we found a rouge concrete slab…and then laid out a great foundation.

Next I laid out all the pavers…

…and learned how to use power tools to make planter boxes!

Finally we swept sand over the whole patio to fill in the gaps.

Some furniture and plants make it a wonderful place to hang out! We held the tasting out there this beer dinner and it was wonderful! I think I’ve spent most evenings hanging out on the patio with a cold beer and a good book!

I’m feeling full of love and good tidings. Something about putting my body to work, being amongst the green and growing, cooking good food. Because that’s what I did this afternoon. I ran out of work early today and made the afternoon about things I wanted to do. There never seems to be enough time to do that and so often I start conversations with friends and colleagues about how tired we are, how busy, how stressed. So today was all spring and good tidings.

After work I went to the pool to swim laps (and by swim laps I mean flail around a bit and stop to catch my breath every four lengths…) and then headed to the grocery store. I’ve reached my limit of cheese and cracker lunches so I had to get something. Walking by the deli case I was inspired by the twice baked potatoes and decided to make my own for dinner (and lunch tomorrow!)

I’ve made these any number of times before and tend to go long stretches forgetting about them. The recipe is originally from a Weight Watchers cookbook but I don’t really measure much now – just throw things in until they taste good. Mix in whatever you want!

Start, of course, by baking up some potatoes. I pulled weeds while they cooked. You can almost see my backyard again. Seriously, there were (still are) a lot of weeds.

While the potatoes are finishing up chop and saute onion, broccoli, and carrots.

Next, scoop out the insides of the potatoes and mash with a little butter, milk, and salt and pepper.

Be careful not to burn your fingers while scooping. I’ve made that mistake before. More than once.

Mix some cottage cheese and a little shredded cheese into the mashed potatoes and add the veggies.

Scoop the potato-veggie mix back into the potato skins, sprinkle with a bit of cheese, then bake.

And that’s it! The cooking time is long but the recipe is simple.

I’m playing with the idea of serving these at the next beer dinner. My thought was to make April’s beer dinner iPAlooza (get it!? IPA-palooza! All IPAs!) so I paired tonight’s dinner with the KBC IPA. The beer was good. The pairing just OK. Suggestions?

Happy Spring and good tidings! I hope you take a moment in your day that’s just for you!

Stuffed Potatoes

Everything You’ll Need

2 large russet potatoes

Onion

Carrot

Head of broccoli

Other veggies if you want!

About 4 ounces of cottage cheese

About 1/2 cup shredded cheese, divided

Little bit of milk

Little bit of butter

Instructions

Cook potatoes at 375 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until tender.

Chop the onion, carrot, and broccoli and saute in olive oil until tender. Add spices if you want! Like garlic powder!

When the potatoes are done, carefully cut them in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving the skin in tact.

Mash the potatoes with a little bit of milk and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cottage cheese and half the shredded cheese to the potatoes and fold in. Then, add the veggies.

Scoop the potato-veggie mix into the potato skins and sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top.